Simple Secrets to Eating Naturally & Joyfully

Eat Breakfast like a King…

…Lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper…  I know this saying refers to the quantity of foods one is to consume in her meals.  However, I interpret the breakfast reference to starting off your day in a royal fashion.  I absolutely love breakfasts on the weekends.  For me, the royal treatment means that I enjoy breakfast slowly and preferably by myself.  Breakfast time on the weekends is my time to recharge my batteries.  This morning I prepared Greek yogurt mixed with rolled oats, maple syrup, cinnamon and blueberries.  To make my coffee special, I added ginger powder, nutmeg and cinnamon to the French Press.  I then topped the coffee off with a mixture of heavy cream and milk.  Oh, and let’s not forget the delicious half of grapefruit.  Since the snow is still coming down heavily, I decided to forgo the reading and just looked out to our wooded lot and admired the beauty (ignoring the fact that we’ll be out there later shoveling away the predicted 2 ft. of snow). 

 

So, I apply a new meaning to an old saying.  For food it isn’t about the quantity, but the experience that’s derived from it.  Go give yourself a royal treatment!

Food of the Gods – Chocolates by Naked Chocolate Café

I have a confession to make – I grew up in Germany and hated 2 very German foods – beer and chocolate.  What, you say, how is that possible?  I know, I know.  Well, while I’ve majorly overcome one of those dislikes, one I will never grow to like.  So, which one is now part of my daily intake?  Chocolate!  I now just absolutely love dark chocolate.  I find ways to integrate it in my cooking, baking and dessert preparation activities.   While I’m proud to say that I make great truffles and chocolate ganache, I have one favorite local chocolatier, Naked Chocolate Café, which brings new meaning to chocolate being the Food of Gods. 

 

Naked Chocolate has 3 locations in Philadelphia.  However, I tend to frequent the location at 1317 Walnut Street.  Naked Chocolate Cafe is a family business founded by Tom Block and his daughter Sara.  They carry a variety of hand crafted artisanal chocolates, delicious desserts, and a selection of frozen or hot chocolate drinks, fine coffees and teas, espresso, and fruit coolers all made in their store kitchen.   And another reason, they’re the best - they use the finest chocolates and purest ingredients in making our products, locally sourced whenever possible and always fresh.  Here are my top 3 favorite delicacies from Naked Chocolate:

 

1.    Force Noir 72% dark chocolate ganache

2.    Chocolate bar, 80% with cacao nibs

3.    Spicy drinking chocolate

 

So, if you’re in the City of Brotherly Love, please make sure to include a stop at one of Naked Chocolate’s 3 locations.  Believe me – their chocolates are even so good that they alone warrant a trip to Philadelphia.  You can plan out which ones you’ll try by visiting their web at:  http://nakedchocolateonline.com/   Enjoy and be lifted onto the clouds!

The Lost Art of Table Etiquette & Mindful Eating

Last night at the dinner table, as I was ready to throw up my arms in resignation due to the fact that my husband had mozzarella cheese hanging from his lips, my stepdaughter was pulling off the outer layer of her roasted brussel sprouts with her fingers, and my stepson was shoving baked ziti on his fork with his fingers, I came to realize that installing table etiquette and mindful eating habits has become a lost art.  I, admittedly, called all of them a name since I was pretty frustrated that our Sunday dinners still require so much effort to get everyone to slow down and use proper table manners.  My German grandfather drilled the importance of proper table manners and eating slowly into my head.  He was absolutely like a drill sergeant.  Plus, my mother made a big deal out of Sunday dinners since it was really the only night we could have dinner together.  The table was set nicely.  We took our time enjoying the wonderful dinner.

 

I dawned on me that we’re most probably a lot like other families.  Everyone rushes through dinner and doesn’t take the time to think about the enjoyment factor of each bite and about how they use utensils.  I was even wondering whether this might be a contributing factor toward America’s growing obesity issue.  So, now I’m on a mission to accomplish my goal of our family embracing the Art of Table Etiquette and Mindful Eating.  I welcome any recommendations if you’re on the same mission!

Testing the Organic Wines… Are They Truly the Juice of Goddesses?

My friend Lynn knows how fanatic I can be about my organic and sustainable foods.  For a recent dinner at our house, she and her husband brought over 4 different organic wines for us to try.  (According to Wikipedia, organic wines are made from grapes that have been grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.)  And all I can say is that they sure went down smoothly.  Yes, I know that this isn’t wine expert terminology, but, hey, they were just as delicious as the food! 

 

For starters, we enjoyed two whites with our appetizers (grilled tomatoes with local goat cheese; aged Gouda from Holland; local Lester cheese; local raw milk cheddar; with Ak-mak crackers and sourdough bread).  1) Terramore Pinot Grigio, Veneto from Italy – nice subtle taste, slightly dry.  2) Kunde Estate 2006 Chardonnay, Sonoma Valley, CA – not sweet like some Chardonnays, which I absolutely loved!  Very flavorful and aromatic – it was my favorite.

 

On to dinner – we had a beef roast in a tomato/cheese sauce with eggplant, zucchini and onions; spaghetti squash with chickpeas and diced tomatoes; roasted purple potatoes; and a tossed salad.  To accompany this, we had a 3) 2008 Sarbon Estate Amador County (CA) Sangiovese.  Great red – dry/fruity, the spices in the wine went really well with the tomato-based dishes. 

 

So, now you’re thinking that we had the 4^th bottle of wine for dessert, right?  Dessert was awesome – vanilla ice cream with roasted apples in a butter and wine sauce.  However, after 3 we had our fill…  The last remaining bottle was enjoyed separately.  4) A Cab/Merlot/Shiraz, Releaf from South Africa.  Since I love my dry reds, I again enjoyed this one.  If you asked me though, which one was the winner for me from all 4 – it clearly was the Kunde Estate 2006 Chardonnay.  I don’t think I’ve ever been as surprised with a Chardonnay as this one!  To answer my above question, yes, the organic wines I tested were truly the Juice of Goddesses!